Healthy Toddler Meal Ideas

What parent hasn't racked her brains over what to serve her picky toddler, or felt guilty when her child gorged on ice cream and skipped dinner?Fortunately, eating healthfully is all about variety and balance over several days. With a variety of foods on the menu, your toddler will receive all thenutrients he needs. And if one day falls short on vegetables, it'll all even out over the period of several days or a week.

A Caution on PortionsMake sure you offer reasonable amounts of any food. Small children become overwhelmed if you put huge portions on their plate! By age 4, most kids can eatadult-size servings regularly. Two- and 3-year-olds should be served smaller portions. The best thing you can do is start small with a couple oftablespoons and let your child ask for seconds.

For this meal plan, approximate maximum serving sizes for children 18 months to 3 years are listed first, and those for 4-year-olds are indicated inparentheses. Remember, don't overwhelm toddlers with huge portions of food on their plate and avoid feeding large junks of food (like hot dog“pennies”) that they can choke on. Start with just a couple of tablespoons if your child is just 18 or 24 months old.

Lunch1/2 grilled cheese sandwich made with 1 slice whole-wheat bread, 1 teaspoon butter, and 1 slice (about 3/4 to 1 ounce) American or Cheddar cheese (1sandwich, made with two slices of bread and 2 slices of cheese)1/2 cup tomato soup made with milk and topped with a few oyster crackers (3/4 cup)1/2 small pear, cut into slices (1 pear)